Source :- THE AGE NEWS
For one brutal, bone-crunching moment, all of rugby league held their breath. Except for poor old Toby Rodwell. He was trying to find it.
Latrell Mitchell, undisputed king of the NRL jungle, hit the rookie Roosters halfback with the most exquisite, most monstrous assault you could ever dish out without having to front court afterwards.
And as poor old Rodwell, 84 kilos, two games into his career, lay prone wondering what had hit him, all of rugby league wondered if Mitchell had hit him high.
Had the game’s most magnetic, single most-watchable player, just hit the kid in the head and rubbed himself out of the finals?
Nope, the replays showed. Mitchell had hit him square in the chest.
Wayne Bennett put it succinctly when asked about how he felt watching said replays and realising that Mitchell’s contact was nice and legal.
“Good”, was Bennett’s summation of that emotional rollercoaster.
Thank the big man above. Especially because Rodwell was showing signs of life. He was soon on his feet too, slowly making his way to the sideline, where Spencer Leniu had the crowd in raptures as well.
Leniu had, an hour earlier, goaded and growled at Souths fans sitting behind the Roosters bench on his way from the field. He had clashed with opposite number Keaon Koloamatangi from a kick-off, and twice again shortly afterwards, with the Rabbitohs prop winning the exchange, baiting Leniu into blowing up and a penalty being blown.
As the big screen cut between shots of Mitchell and Leniu, cheers rang out for the Rabbitoh, jeers for the Rooster. Leniu lapped it up, grinning with a touch of the madness that all the good front-rowers possess.
Despite the 50-20 scoreline, the Roosters had held their gloves up. In Leniu’s case, with eyes spinning like poker machines, he did so literally. Rodwell had his moments too.
And the Rabbitohs, with Jai Arrow leaving the Prime Minister emotional, along with 39,999 others at Allianz Stadium, they put their old enemy to the sword.
Before a ball was even kicked, the Dolphins’ narrow win over the Gold Coast meant the Roosters had to win or they would be locked into fourth place. Whether they head across the ditch to face New Zealand or west to take on Penrith won’t be confirmed until the final whistle of the regular season.
Barring a 41-point loss from fifth-placed Cronulla to Melbourne, the Rabbitohs will now finish sixth and host Newcastle in week one of the finals. Moments from Mitchell – even before Latrell’s scene-stealing 77th-minute shot – and David Fifita again spelled out the impact both men can have in the post-season.
“[Mitchell] needed to get some time behind him tonight and get involved in the game,” Bennet said.
“He didn’t do a great deal last week, which is understandable.
“I took a risk, I could have played him less time. A few people were trying to tell me on the bench to get him off.
“But he was enjoying himself. He wasn’t under stress out there into that second half, and he had that bit of a swagger that he has back.
“He did some really good things. I was really pleased with the outcome.”
And when Fifita took on four defenders from dummy-half in the fifth minute, there was only going to be one winner, and the bullocking back-rower had Souths’ first try.
Tries to Bud Sullivan, Alex Johnston and Campbell Graham ensured the Rabbitohs had plenty of breathing room and a 20-4 half-time lead, before the Roosters found fortune giving the ball air.
Rex Bassingthwaighthe finished off an excellent long-range right-side shift in the 50th minute, before Butcher did the same when the Bunnies were busted up the middle a few tackles later.
But with Cody Walker pulling the strings, the veteran No.6 ensured Souths weren’t ever truly threatened. He helped himself to a try with some light stepping before Adam Elliott, Graham again, Mitchell and Brandon Smith all joined him on the scoreboard.
And Mitchell, he proved once more why he’s the biggest show in town. Just ask poor old Toby Rodwell.
A nice consolation try for the Roosters now, with Rex Bassingthwaighte leaping over the top of Latrell Mitchell to bring down a Cody Ramsey crossfield kick and score his second for the night. He’s a future star in the making, Bassingthwaighte.
Ramsey converts and it’s a respectable showing from the Roosters youngsters, despite the 30-point defeat.
Rabbitohs 50, Roosters 30 at full-time
The Rabbitohs get a fresh set after that Toby Rodwell error and former Rooster Brandon Smith senses the opportunity and takes it from dummy half, scooting over for a trademark try. Latrell Mitchell will have no trouble converting this one and the Rabbitohs have 50 points – and conceding 50 is a curse that means the Roosters would need to create history to win a premiership this season now.
In fairness, they’d also need to create history to win the comp after finishing the regular season with three straight losses. But the result tonight was never really in doubt once Trent Robinson opted to rest the majority of his starters, and Souths have collected a simple win – and booked a home semi-final to boot.
Rabbitohs 50, Roosters 14 with three minutes left
Bang – that’s a huge shot from Latrell Mitchell to flatten Roosters halfback Toby Rodwell, who copped a hospital pass with the hulking centre rushing up in defence. With Rodwell sprawled on the turf – the ball went flying from his grasp as Mitchell made the tackle – we get a look at plenty of replays which suggest there was nothing wrong with the tackle.
Rodwell is leaving the field now. That’s a tackle that is going to get a run in a few TV commercials in the lead-up to the NRL finals, I’d say.
Rabbitohs 44, Roosters 14 with four minutes left
Euan Aitken’s night is over early with the second-rower picking up a shoulder injury, but now the game really comes to life. First Latrell Mitchell crashes over for a try in the left corner, having pulled off a one-on-one strip a couple of plays earlier.
But then the teams come to blows, or at least get into a bit of argy bargy after Daniel Tupou picks up the ball after Mitchell scored, started trotting upfield, then got shoved over by Souths forward Lachlan Hubner.
Roosters players rushed over and started shoving Hubner, and it’s melee time (though there don’t appear to have been any actual punches thrown).
Hubner has been sent to the sin bin, and so is the Roosters’ De La Salle Va’a.
After everyone calms down, Mitchell misses another sideline conversion.
Rabbitohs 44, Roosters 14 with seven minutes left
The Rabbitohs are up to 40, with Jamie Humphreys poking a nice grubber off his left foot towards the right corner and Campbell Graham reaches out his right arm to touch down.
Latrell Mitchell’s goal kicking is somehow getting worse, and his sideline conversion attempt goes wide left by about 20 metres.
Still, the Bunnies are a very decent chance of racking up 50 against their old rivals tonight.
Rabbitohs 40, Roosters 14 with 13 minutes left
It’s Latrell time! Or is it?
Once again the Rabbitohs ease their way into the Roosters’ 20 metres, and Cody Walker drifts left, sizes up the defensive line, and this time pokes a grubber kick in behind. Latrell Mitchell – back in the South Sydney starting side tonight for the first time since round 11 – gets to the ball first but doesn’t ground it cleanly.
But wait! The bunker spots an infringement by the Roosters, with a defender holding back Rabbitohs back-rower Adam Elliott who was also chasing the kick and in front of Mitchell at the time. On that basis, the bunker awards a penalty try to Elliott, who seems pleasantly surprised by the whole thing.
Rabbitohs 36, Roosters 14 with 17 minutes left
Defence is really starting to take a backseat now, although more experienced defenders have been fooled by Cody Walker – who steps past two Roosters players to score a nice solo try for the Rabbitohs to the left of the goal posts.
Latrell Mitchell converts this one and Souths are up to 30.
Meanwhile five-eighth Reece Foley has been ruled out for the Roosters after failing an HIA, so the Tricolours will be using an even more makeshift halves combination for the final stages of this contest.
Rabbitohs 30, Roosters 14 with 22 minutes left
Suddenly these young Roosters are on fire. Benaiah Ioelu makes a bust out of dummy-half from near his own 30-metre line, then finds bench forward Taylor Losalu – who brushes off Alex Johnston, holds off Jye Gray and passes to Egan Butcher who scores an excellent long-range try.
That’s two in rapid succession, and the Chooks are making a real contest out of this.
Rabbitohs 24, Roosters 14 with 25 minutes left
And now a bright sign for the future of the Sydney Roosters, who produce a 55-metre long-range effort via three of their young outside backs. Cody Ramsey, playing at fullback tonight, flicks a nice pass for Tommy Talau, who unleashes promising winger Rex Bassingthwaighte down the sideline. Bassingthwaighte runs around Jye Gray to score and Toby Rodwell slots the sideline conversion.
Rabbitohs 24, Roosters 10 with 28 minutes left
